gaff

gaff · noun, verb¹

1. Old Occitan · derived fromgaf“hook”
2. Old French · derived fromgaffe
3. Middle English · inherited fromgaffe
4. English todaygaff

From Middle English gaffe, from Old French gaffe, from Old Occitan gaf (“hook”), derivative of gafar (“to seize”), from 𐌲𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (giban, “to give”). Doublet of gaffe. Etymology 1, noun sense 5 apparently derives from the idea that the garment tricks or deceives others about the wearer's genitalia.

gaff · noun²

1. Old English · inherited fromgafsprǣc“buffoonery, scurrility; blasphemous or ribald speech”
2. English todaygaff

Perhaps from Old English gafsprǣc (“buffoonery, scurrility; blasphemous or ribald speech”), from Old English gaf (“base, vile, lewd”) + Old English sprǣc (“language, speech, talk”). Compare Old English gaffetung, gafettung (“scoffing, mockery, derision”).

gaff · noun³

1. Romani · derived fromgav“village”
2. English todaygaff

Unknown. Possibly from Etymology 1, via a sense of “a place that will be robbed” in criminal argot; possibly from Etymology 2, via a sense of "cheap theatre"; possibly from Romani gav (“village”) (whence German Kaff (“village”)).

Words from the same roots